Star Trek: The Ranger, Part 2: Hunted

Chapter 2

II

Kathryn had replicated a light meal for the two of them, as they settled back in for goodness-knew how long. With just being the two of them, they would either end up coming to a truce, or kill each other, with no middle ground for anything else.

Dinner was eaten in uncomfortable silence. Afterward, it was Seven, oddly enough, who wanted to talk.

She volunteered to put everything in the recycling unit, then ordered up two Romulan Ale's from the replicator, and handed one to Janeway across the table.

Janeway stared at the replicated highball glass, and the liquid in it. She looked up at Seven, and raised her eyebrows. "You trying to get me drunk, Seven?"

Seven was not amused. "Stop the bullshit, Kathryn. We haven't talked in a decade, and you think you can just show up and believe it will all be normal again?"

Kathryn didn't blink. "No, in fact, I didn't think that at all, Seven." Her own voice was like ice. "Remember, you and Chakotay sprung your surprise on me-while I was defending both of you in my Court Martial, no less-and things went downhill from there, if you recall."

Seven almost laughed. "You seemed to be the only one that didn't realize that Chakotay and I were in a relationship, Kathryn. How could someone so intuitive, so incredibly intelligent as yourself not see it? Or did you not want to see it?"

"The first clue I had", Janeway retorted, "was when the two of you told me. Sorry if I wasn't following the personal intrigues of my crew. I was busy trying to get us home."

Seven went to answer, but Janeway stopped her. "You know what infuriated me more than finding out like that, in the middle of my Court Martial, and having to defend every fucking decision I ever made in the Delta Quadrant? It was the fact that I busted my ass to get you, Chakotay, all the Maquis, and the Equinox crew members off without as much as a reprimand, and neither you or Chakotay ever had the courtesy to thank me for my efforts. Tom and B'Elanna thanked me; the Doctor thanked me; hell, even Noah Lessing, who I almost had killed, thanked me, but not the two people I was closest to on Voyager."

The abject hurt on her former captain's face was like a punch in the gut to Seven, but it didn't slow her down.

"You vanished off the face of the Earth, Kathryn!"

Janeway stopped her. "Yes, of course I did! I had gone through five months of non-stop debriefs, questions, accusations, second-guessing, and threats against not only me, but you, and Chakotay, Icheb, the Doctor-damn near everyone in my crew. They gave me a Vice-Admiral's promotion, and wanted to put me behind a desk, so they could keep an eye on me. I left as fast as I could, and I'd do it again!"

Again, Seven was taken aback by Janeway's uncompromising tone. For the first time, it cracked her own icy facade.

"You could have said goodbye, Kathryn."

That simply made Janeway madder. "Why? So you could flaunt your relationship with my First Officer in my face? Knowing how much I loved.........." Her voice cracked, "How much I loved both of you? And how terribly you had hurt me?"

"Don't lie to me, Kathryn", Seven said heatedly. "I know you cared for Chakotay-I really do. But you didn't disappear because you loved him, for God's sake. You left because you still...."

She couldn't get the word out of her mouth.

Kathryn still wasn't letting up. "I guess that was a mistake, wasn't it?"

With that, Janeway rose, gulped down the rest of her Romulan Ale in one swig, and turned to leave for her quarters.

"Kathryn", Seven said, her voice unsure, "where are you going?"